Dinner times two

Sunday's pot roast became tonight's steak pie.  With the rain, cold and sleet (yep, sleet) this smells heavenly baking.  Oh, either one smells heavenly.

We had the roast with mashed potatoes and steamed green beans.  The pie was accompanied with a wedge of iceberg lettuce dashed with Blue cheese dressing and Gorgonzola crumbles.

                              Beef Pot Roast

  3             Pounds  chuck roast
  4        tablespoons  flour
  2          teaspoons  house seasoning (equal parts  pepper, onion powder and garlic powder to 2 parts of kosher salt)
  2        tablespoons  canola oil
  1              large  onion -- chopped
  4                     carrots -- chopped
  2             stalks  celery -- chopped
     1/4           cup  tomato paste
  1                can  beef broth
     1/2           cup  red wine
     1/2           cup  red wine vinegar
  1         tablespoon  Worcestershire sauce

Heat oven to 300.
season the meat with the house seasoning then coat with flour
heat canola oil in heavy ditch oven. Add meat and brown thoroughly on all sides
remove meat.  Add onion, carrot and celery to pot.  Cook slowly until onions start to become golden.
Add tomato paste to the pot.  Stir and brown the paste until a film forms on the bottom of the pot
Deglaze with the wine, wine vinegar and beef broth, in that order.
Return the meat to the pot.  Add water to bring the liquid to the top edge of the beef.  Add the Worcestershire.  Adjust the seasonings
Place in a 300 degree oven for 3 hours.
Remove meat.  Sieve the solids from the liquid.  Remove the fat.  Thicken with Wondra flour for gravy.

                     
                                 Beef Pie

                        Beef Pot Roast -- leftovers
  1                cup  peas and carrots, frozen
  2                     potatoes -- peeled and chopped
  1                     ready pie crust

Heat oven to 350
Cook the potato in the microwave for 2 minutes.  Set aside
Chop the beef, thin the leftover gravy with water or beef broth, stir in the carrots and peas, stir in the potato
turn out into a deep dish pie pan
cover with ready-crust.  Spray with cooking spray
Bake 350 for 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours.  Should be bubbly and golden.

Sunday Dinner

                     
Before starting anything, slice the onions, mushrooms and beef.  Salt and pepper the beef.  Start the water to cook the noodles.  the longest cooking time is the onions, which take about 15 minutes to fully caramelize.  I keep a bowl of onions that are already caramelized with Aleppo pepper in the fridge so I can stir in whatever amount I want in whatever I am cooking at the moment.  They (the onions) are really good in scrambled eggs or egg whites.

I think the beef is good in this but the whole thing with only the mushrooms would also be great. Omit the beef base and use something like Vegemite to get the meatiness.

And the beef is easier to slice thinly if slightly frozen.

                             Beef Stroganoff

Serving Size  : 6 

  1 Pound  sirloin steak, trimmed -- sliced 1/8" thick, against the grain
  8 ounces  mushroom -- sliced
  1 medium  onion -- sliced
  6 tablespoons  butter -- divided
  2 teaspoons  Worcestershire sauce
  1 cup  white wine
  2 tablespoons  beef base -- Knorr brand is good
1/2 cup  water
                        salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon  garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon  Aleppo pepper
  1 teaspoon  Dijon mustard
  1 cup  sour cream
  12 ounces  egg noodles -- cooked and tossed with butter and dill weed

Start the onions in a pan with 3 tablespoons of butter, salt, pepper and Aleppo pepper.  Caramelize then remove.

Toss the sliced beef with salt and pepper.

Add 2 T. butter to pan and quickly sear the beef.  Remove while still rare, leaving juices and butter behind.  Sprinkle the Worcestershire over the beef and set aside.

Add the last tablespoon of butter and the sliced mushrooms.  Start them with a little salt and pepper, then add back the onions.  Cook until the mushrooms are tender and reduced.  Add the garlic powder.

Deglaze the pan with the white wine, then add the beef base, mustard and water.  Bring to a simmer.

Return the beef and all the accumulated juices to the pan.  Bring everything up to a simmer.  Simmer 10 minutes to tenderize the beef.

Just before serving over buttered dill noodles stir in the sour cream and gently heat through.